Parkinson’s disease, or paralysis agitans,is a progressing neurologic movement disorder that eventually leads to disability. It occurs after the age of 50 and increases in incidence with age. The disease affects more men than women and it’s the fourth most common neurodegenerative disease, with 50,000 new cases reported each year in the United States.
Parkinson’s disease is associated with decreased levels of dopamine resulting from destruction of pigmented neuronal cells in the substantia nigra in the basal ganglia region of the brain. Neuronal pathways project from the substantia nigra to the corpus striatum, where neurotransmitters are key to the control of complex body movements. The loss of dopamine stores in areas of the brain results in more excitatory neurotransmitters than inhibitory neurotransmitters, leading to an imbalance that affects voluntary movement.
Nursing Care Plans
The nursing goals for patients with Parkinson’s Disease include improving functional mobility, maintaining independence in performing ADLs, achieving optimal bowel elimination, attaining and maintaining acceptable nutritional status, achieving effective communication, and developing positive coping mechanisms.
Here are nine (9) nursing care plans (NCP) and nursing diagnosis for Parkinson’s Disease:
- Ineffective Airway Clearance
- Disturbed Thought Process
- Impaired Verbal Communication
- Impaired Physical Mobility
- Imbalanced Nutrition: Less Than Body Requirements
- Impaired Swallowing
- Risk for Injury
- Ineffective Coping
- Deficient Knowledge
- Other Nursing Care Plans
Ineffective Coping
Nursing Diagnosis
May be related to
- progressive chronic disease
- limitations imposed by the disease
- depression
- lack of coping skills
- physical or emotional impairment caused by normal aging changes or parkinsonism
- changes in lifestyle
Possibly evidenced by
- verbalization of inability to cope
- inappropriate coping strategies
- social withdrawal
- irritability
- aggressiveness
- hostility
- changes in communication pattern
- inability to ask for help
- fatigue
- increased illness
- poor concentration
- decreased problem-solving skills
- risk-taking behaviors
- poor-self esteem
- insomnia
Desired Outcomes
- Patient will exhibit improvement in emotional well-being.
- Patient will use acceptable strategies to cope with problems, and will have improved sense of self-worth.
- Patient will be able to access support systems, community resources, or counselors to assist in achieving adequate coping skills.
| Nursing Interventions | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Provide care for patient using same personnel whenever possible. | Provides for continuity of care and the establishment of a trusting relationship. |
| Provide uninterrupted time to be spent with patient, and encourage him to express feelings and concerns. | Allows patient time to express extreme and powerful emotional feelings, and with discussion, patient can begin to comprehend the personal meaning attached to recent events and develop a reasonable assessment of the situation in order to identify a plan to deal constructively with the situation. |
| Assist patient only when necessary. Offer positive feedback for independent behavior. | Dependency on the nurse decreases self-esteem. Encouraging desired behaviors promotes effective coping. |
| Encourage patient to make choices about his care. | Reduces helplessness and enhances a sense of self-esteem. |
| Identify expectations from patients for behavior and what consequences will occur if limits are not honed. | Helps set boundaries for manipulative behavior. Manipulation by the patient reduces sense of insecurity by increasing feeling of power. |
| Assist patient to identify behavior and accept responsibility for actions. | A sense of responsibility needs to be developed before any changes can occur. |
| Identify patient’s positive qualities and accomplishments and assist patient to recognize these traits. | Patient will have less need for manipulative behavior if self-esteem is increased. |
| Congratulate the patient when he or she uses effective coping strategies. | Helps reinforce positive behavior. |
| Encourage patient to utilize community resources, support systems, counselors, and family and friends. | Helps to maintain effective coping skills. |
| Instruct patient/family in appropriate coping strategies. | Provides knowledge and identifies alternatives to inappropriate behavior. |
| Instruct patient and/or family regarding need for support groups and/or counseling. | May be required to continue complete appropriate care and enable patient to effectively maintain coping skills. |
Recommended Resources
Recommended nursing diagnosis and nursing care plan books and resources.
Disclosure: Included below are affiliate links from Amazon at no additional cost from you. We may earn a small commission from your purchase. For more information, check out our privacy policy.
- Nursing Care Plans: Nursing Diagnosis and Intervention (10th Edition)
An awesome book to help you create and customize effective nursing care plans. We highly recommend this book for its completeness and ease of use. - Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions and Rationales
A quick-reference tool to easily select the appropriate nursing diagnosis to plan your patient’s care effectively. - NANDA International Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions & Classification, 2021-2023Â (12th Edition)
The official and definitive guide to nursing diagnoses as reviewed and approved by the NANDA-I. This book focuses on the nursing diagnostic labels, their defining characteristics, and risk factors – this does not include nursing interventions and rationales. - Nursing Diagnosis Handbook, 12th Edition Revised Reprint with 2021-2023 NANDA-I® Updates
Another great nursing care plan resource that is updated to include the recent NANDA-I updates. - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5(TM))
Useful for creating nursing care plans related to mental health and psychiatric nursing. - Ulrich & Canale’s Nursing Care Planning Guides, 8th Edition
Claims to have the most in-depth care plans of any nursing care planning book. Includes 31 detailed nursing diagnosis care plans and 63 disease/disorder care plans. - Maternal Newborn Nursing Care Plans (3rd Edition)
If you’re looking for specific care plans related to maternal and newborn nursing care, this book is for you. - Nursing Diagnosis Manual: Planning, Individualizing, and Documenting Client Care (7th Edition)
An easy-to-use nursing care plan book that is updated with the latest diagnosis from NANDA-I 2021-2023. - All-in-One Nursing Care Planning Resource: Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Maternity, and Psychiatric-Mental Health (5th Edition)
Definitely an all-in-one resources for nursing care planning. It has over 100 care plans for different nursing topics.
See also
Other recommended site resources for this nursing care plan:
- Nursing Care Plans (NCP): Ultimate Guide and Database
Over 150+ nursing care plans for different diseases and conditions. Includes our easy-to-follow guide on how to create nursing care plans from scratch. - Nursing Diagnosis Guide and List: All You Need to Know to Master Diagnosing
Our comprehensive guide on how to create and write diagnostic labels. Includes detailed nursing care plan guides for common nursing diagnostic labels.
Other nursing care plans related to neurological disorders:
- Alzheimer’s Disease | 15Â Care Plans
- Brain Tumor | 3 Care Plans
- Cerebral Palsy | 7 Care Plans
- Cerebrovascular Accident | 12 Care Plans
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome | 6 Care Plans
- Meningitis | 7 Care Plans
- Multiple Sclerosis | 9 Care Plans
- Parkinson’s Disease | 9 Care Plans
- Seizure Disorder | 4 Care Plans
- Spinal Cord Injury | 12 Care Plans
Awesome stuff.
Feel like I have found a gold mine !! Very helpful.
Very nice and helpful
This website has helped me so much with nursing interventions and now is helping me come up with interventions and understanding why because of the rationale
Would be Important to add references. Apart from that is very good.